You Could Get Ricky van Wolfswinkel for Less – Agent Encourages Manchester United and Liverpool

English duo Manchester United and Liverpool have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Sporting Lisbon striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel.

The Premier League pair are admirers of the Dutch forward, with Manchester United assistant manager Mike Phelan on record as stating: "We’ve known about him for a while. He is a young and talented striker who is developing well. He’s one of the players we follow."

And Fiorentina have recently had a bid of €10M for Van Wolfswinkel rejected, with the striker’s release clause standing at €22M.

But Van Wolfswinkel’s agent has revealed that he believes Sporting Lisbon may be willing to deal for less than that figure and it is not an amount that should be taken seriously.

"It is indeed high", said the player’s agent Louis Laros about his client’s clause, but added that, "it’s how they do things there [in Portugal]."

It is not a hard and fast amount however and the 22-year-old could end up leaving Lisbon for less.

"But it is not what it seems", hinted Laros.

"I see enough players leave for half of their buyout clause."

The striker, who moved to Sporting Lisbon from FC Utrecht in the summer for just €5.4M, has been a sensation in Portugal.